The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-07-28
GRAND ARMY BRAwLERs.

Lieut.. Wells, Of WillismspOrt, who
during the war served with the S4th
Pa. Regiment, writes as follows to the
Philadelphia Times:
Permit me, In behalf of many veter-
ans of this city and county, to thank
YOU for condemning the brswling Fair.
childs and TUttles of the Grand Army
of the Republic, and publishing note
of warning to the organization that IL
must exclude partisan politics or for'
felt Its honor and usefulness In the
future. The old soldiers OF Democratic
politics will not longer submit to have
the organization used as q partisan
political machine to help along such
MILITARY blatherskites as General Tut
tie, of Iowa.
have noticed In the many years !
have been a comrade of the Grand Army
OF the Republic that the members of the
Tuttle stripe and Fsirchild inclinati0ns
are Almost In every instance the militia
and the months soldiers. ! have also
observed that when you come to
count noses among those true
veterans, who served In the army
two, three ard four years, the men
who enlisted for during the wal"
without the incentive of big bOunties,
there will be found ss many, IL not
more, Democrats than Republicans. II
ell the soldiers Of the late war who are
Democrats when outside the post rooms
of the Grand Army, we're to withdraw
from the organization, ii would soon be
on q par as an order with the red flag
Anarchists of the country. The great
trouble now with the organization, es-
pecially In this country, is traceable to
the fact that the Posts are 0fl1cered and
controlled entirely too much by men
who were not In the army long enough
to entitle them to the name OF Veter
ans. Probably One-thiTd Of the mem
hers of the Posts Of this State belonged
to the militia contingent, and were not
In the service long enough even to sc-
Quire uniforms. This city has one OF
the largest Posts In this State, and to
its credit be IL said partisan politics
has not for years been allowed 10 mar
Its social excellence or brotherhood
usefulness. fraternity, charity and
loyalty" the motto of the order. means
something else than partisan politics.
The Grand Army of the Republic 1s
TOO noble ana g00u an organization W
harbOr In the Post room such men as
TuttIe and those give him cOuntensnce.
Such men have worn themselves into
the order until 1t is threatened with dis.
organization and thou auds of the braV
est veterans Of the war have taken the
decoration from their breasts aud refuse
any longer to accept the coUntersign of
admittance to the Post r0Ome. They
have had enough of bloody shirt politics
and are done with battles and battle
flags. They have not forgotten their
great commander, General Grant, who
told the COnfederstes at ADpOmsttOx to
keep their horses to farm with, and be.
fore he died said, "Let us have peace"
The veteran soldiers who fought for
Union should still be for Union--she
whole Union and nothing else but the
UniOn-the kind Of UnjO1 that knows
no north, no south, no east, no west,
and lets the dead past bury Its dead and
allows the late COnfedeTacy to rest In
that long sleep where even COnfeder'
stes have buried 1t and where they are
willing to let 1t rest.